Review: Exodus - Exhibit B: The Human Condition | |||||||
|
|||||||
Exhibit B: The Human Condition | |||||||
![]() |
Label: Nuclear Blast Records Year released: 2010 Duration: 73:57 Tracks: 12 Genre: Thrash Metal Rating: Review online: June 1, 2010 Reviewed by: Hermer Arroyo |
Readers' Rating How do you rate this release? Rated 3.7/5 (73.91%) (46 Votes)
|
|||||
Review | |||||||
Of all the things that I was expecting this year, having a new Exodus album was not one of them. The record is obviously a follow up to their Exhibit A released in 2007. During that time they released an updated version of the fabulous debut (and trashing it in the process). Therefore, I had lowered the few hopes that I had for this record. Now before I review this album, I've got to say that I have never been the biggest Exodus fan, in fact I consider them somewhat overrated. I liked some of their songs post 1985 but I won't go nuts because it has the Exodus name attached to it. To review this album I also listened to ...Exhibit A back to back to find out how they compared to each other. As it turns out, there are exactly the same type of album; there isn't a whole lot of difference between them except that Exhibit B is 15 minutes longer. Everything that you love/hate about ...Exhibit A makes an appearance here, from the clean production, the long guitar solos to Rob Dukes' vocals. Even the songs themselves are nothing different from what Exodus have been making for over a decade now. And during that time the band has been more "progressive" (for a lack of a better term) here than in their heyday, with their tight musicianship and extended songs. Ever since Lee Altus joined the band, Exodus' playing has gone upwards and by listening to the maniacal guitar work here you'll understand why. Every solo here requires an air guitar, as most of them are fast and catchy, easily the best part of the whole album. The rhythm section is solid and sometimes beyond that, their main job is to keep everything together and for the majority of the album that's exactly what they do. Which leads me to Dukes's voice, one of the aspects that I've never liked about the band was their singers. Aside from Baloff, both Dukes and Souza are annoying or irritating. However on this album Dukes has improved compared to his work on ...Exhibit A, so his vocals here are passable. Another major problem that I had with this album was the length of it. More often than not, when a band releases a 70-minute record, it has too many fillers. Needles to say that it was very difficult to listen to Exhibit B in one sitting. That was very clear here as there are a lot of songs that shouldn't have been here or should've been shorter like: "The Sun is my Destroyer", "Perpetual State of Indifference" and "Nanking". And although there are fast moments here, this album won't win any awards for speed; as long as you aren't expecting a frantic pace you should be fine. Allegedly, they perform what is called "Groove Thrash". I've never understood what that's supposed to mean. All that I'd know is that this is just an album, plain and simple, there isn't anything terribly offensive or memorable about it. So if you like Exodus's recent direction, there is no reason why you shouldn't pick this up. I happen to think that this is only one among many and I don't think it deserves the attention it is going to get. |
|||||||
More about Exodus... | |||||||
Review: Blood In, Blood Out (reviewed by MetalMike) Review: Bonded by Blood (reviewed by Christian Renner) Review: British Disaster: The Battle of '89 (Live at the Astoria) (reviewed by Michel Renaud) Review: Exhibit B: The Human Condition (reviewed by Lior "Steinmetal" Stein) Review: Persona Non Grata (reviewed by MetalMike) Review: Pleasures Of the Flesh (reviewed by Larry Griffin) Review: Shovel Headed Kill Machine (reviewed by Sargon the Terrible) Review: Tempo of the Damned (reviewed by Christian Renner) Review: The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A (reviewed by Michel Renaud) Interview with drummer Tom Hunting on July 13, 2012 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen) Interview with vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza on April 9, 2016 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen) | |||||||
Click below for more reviews | |||||||
Latest 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Various Books/Zines
|
The Metal Crypt - Crushing Posers Since 1999
Copyright © 1999-2025,
Michel Renaud / The Metal Crypt. All Rights Reserved.